TAUNTON — Taunton’s Michelle Picard will be taking home the silver medal back to a proud Silver City, after she and the rest of the US women’s hockey team lost a heartbreaking final against Canada in the Winter Olympics on Thursday.

Picard and Team USA led 2-0 going into the last four minutes of the game, held in Sochi, Russia, before the Canadians rallied to bring the game to overtime. Team Canada beat the Americans while on a five-on-three power play about halfway through the extra period.

The ending was made all the more tense when Team USA nearly sealed a gold medal win late in regulation time, after Canada pulled their goalie and a stray U.S. shot hit the Canadian goalpost from the middle of the ice.

Picard was on the ice when Canada scored the game-winning power play goal, collapsing in disappointment as the Canadians celebrated. During the medal ceremony after the game, many of the American women appeared distraught, some with tears in their eyes.

Back home in Taunton, people of all ages were cheering on Team USA and Picard, a 20-year-old who attends Harvard University. Despite the loss, Tauntonians said watching one of their own playing in an Olympic gold medal match was amazing.

In the cafeteria at Parker Middle School, students watched the game on a projector while eating their lunch.

“It’s exciting to know that someone from here is playing in the Olympics,” said 13-year-old Carolina Ramirez. “I think it’s very motivating for other people, showing that you can go for your dreams, and that surely anything is possible. She represents us. It shows our pride.”

Interim assistant principal Ray O’Malley, who once played for the Bruins, said he remembers Picard as a quiet girl who attended Parker and excelled in school.

“She’s been a very good representative of the city,” O’Malley said. “She was a great kid and a great student. She’s a Harvard girl and she was like that when she was here.”

O’Malley walked around the cafeteria telling the students about Picard.

“Pay attention to her,” said O’Malley, crouching over a table. “She’s a Taunton girl.”

Christine Dever, a seventh-grade English teacher, said she remembers having Picard as a student in her class.

“Obviously it’s really cool that she made it this far and we are all very proud of her,” Dever said. “She has achieved such an amazing athletic goal. … She has shown all the kids from Taunton someone like them going so far. I’m most impressed that she goes to Harvard. The students are surprised to find out that someone who has gone so far sat in the same seats they did.”

Page 2 of 2 - Dylan Medeiros, a 13-year-old in the seventh-grade, said he moved from his normal seat in the back of the cafeteria to the front to get a good view of the game.

“I think it’s awesome,” Medeiros said.

The afternoon crowd at Homeplate Bay Street Grill became enthralled with the game on Thursday afternoon and also expressed pride in their hometown hockey player.

“You know what, they played a good game,” said Dawn Velazquez, of Taunton, who was watching with friends.

Caryn Thielker, of Taunton, said, “It’s an honor and I think it’s awesome. She’s putting Taunton on the map.”

The crowd at the Homeplate cheered when Team USA scored and viewers there were on the edge of their seats until the final moment of the game.

“She has caused a lot of excitement around here,” said Homeplate owner Rob Anderson.